Red's big fifty
by CallMeMrsA
Summary: Reba celebrates her fiftieth birthday with her family...
1. Chapter 1

She was behind the mirror looking at her face, a brush in one hand and bronzer in the other. _Am I really already 50 years old_ was the thought she couldn't escape from all day. She searched her face closely for wrinkles, thinking there was no way she could be 50. _I am too young to be 50_. She wanted to be more adventurous, go hiking and skiing, sailing-all that stuff she and Brock said they would do together after Jake moved out. Now she was alone in her bathroom, looking at herself, wondering where her life went and why was she so terrified of this dinner tonight. She put her eyeliner on, a little bit of blush, and some mascara. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Brock, handsome as he usually was, staring at her.

"Don't just stare, get over here and zip me," she said, noticing him wearing that devilish looking smile.

"Turn around then," he commanded gently, amused by her sass. She turned her back to him and continued doing her make-up.

Brock's fingers slowly traced the line from the top of her neck to the zipper of the dress in the middle of her back and watched her reaction. He slowly pulled it up as she smiled and closed her eyes. It was the first time he'd touched her since the divorce, and she was shocked at the tingling heat that shot from his fingertips through her entire trembling body. It felt like he was unzipping her, not the other way around. She felt hot and a bit flushed but she quickly snapped out of it because she knew the consequences of giving in to the desires of his touch, of forgetting oneself. She slowly opened her eyes, looked at him with regret that she invited him to zip her and continued doing her make-up. When he finished zipping her dress, his hands found their way to her hips. Before he could contemplate his next actions, he turned around, walked to her bedroom door and leaned on it.

He watched her, a satisfied smile on his face, while she put the rest of her make-up on. W _hy is she so beautiful, now more than ever?_ Brock thought to himself _._ He knew he had to dance with her tonight. He had to give her a glass of champagne and tell her she was beautiful and she was glowing.

Her dress was killing him. _She started wearing more sexy clothes again,_ he thought. She is being bold and seductive, she is owning her body and age again. _Was that for me or did she meet someone..._ The beige sequined dress, hitting her right at the knee, was perfect for her body; it hugged her in all the right places and left little to Brock's imagination with the low cut neckline. It wasn't Reba's style at all, but she mentioned it was on sale and so she bought it before she thought too much about it. He knew that was intentional. It had to be because she was not an impulsive buyer; sometimes he thought Reba forgot how well he knew her.

His gaze moved from her cleavage to her long legs and found her wearing the sexiest shoes ever; a black high-heeled number. He was certain that the pair wasn't hers; maybe they were Cheyenne's.

"I'll be ready in a minute. Wait for me downstairs," she replied while she put on the last touch of her lipstick.

Her words of dismissal put Brock out of his daydream. He was a little taken aback at her harsh tone; it was unexpected. Before he left, he took one last glance at her, committing the way she looked to memory. Finally, he said, "Hurry up, the kids are waiting on us."

Reba looked at herself one last time, then stood to leave. As she turned away from the sink, Cheyenne ran into her bathroom, almost knocking her over.

"Hey honey, your dad is waiting on you downstairs," said Reba while closing the bathroom door.

"Mom," said Cheyenne, almost running out of breath from running, "I found it,"

Reba gave her daughter a confused look and replied, "Found what?"

"Your necklace from dad!" Cheyenne said, amused.

Reba looked at her daughter's hand and noticed the little silver diamond infinity heart pendant necklace. When she looked at it, her heart stopped for a minute and she gasped. The necklace had been missing for about 10 years. _Where did she find it?_ Brock gave it to her on her 40th birthday. It was the last gift he ever gave to her and it meant the world to her because it was also the last time they made love. The memories were still there and she fought hard not to get all flushed around her daughter.

She once lent the necklace to Cheyenne and never saw it again, until now.

"Where did you find it?" Reba asked.

"It was in my drawer, right next to my wedding ring! I thought I lost it too," Cheyenne smiled. "You have to put it on, Mom."

"No, sweetie, we are late and I already have earrings on, I don't need anything else," Reba told her daughter and walked out.

Cheyenne yelled at Reba, "Oh c'mon mom, it's so beautiful and it will really compliment your dress!"

Reba turned around and sighed, "Okay, but I need to change my hairdo then."

Cheyenne looked at her mom and said, "Just put your hair up and it will be perfect."

Reba put her necklace on, looked at herself again and took one long breath. She exhaled and rested a finger on the necklace, feeling like her whole body was on fire. She hoped Brock wouldn't notice it and think that she's rethinking all of his feelings- which he had told her last night.

Brock was pacing the floor and thought to himself, _what is she doing upstairs?_ She was nearly ready when he was up there. He wanted to yell her name but when he looked up, he saw Cheyenne and Reba walking down the stairs. They locked eyes, but Reba couldn't help but notice the up and down glance he gave her when he first noticed her. She saw lust and possessiveness in his eyes and in that moment she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world. Brock nearly choked on his own breath when he saw her. All dressed up, she moved slowly, seductively, down the stairs. He knew that she was doing it on purpose, but the only thing he saw was her "lost" diamond necklace and her sparkling blue eyes. He was ruined for the whole night.

"Wow, Mom, you look beautiful," Jake moved to hug her, an unusual action for him now that he was a teenager. He looked like quite the young man in his black suit. She smiled at him and hugged back her youngest; he was the most thoughtful son.

"Wowza, Mrs. H, you look hot…" Van muttered but didn't finish his sentence when he saw the murderous look his wife was giving him.

"Okay, everybody, hop in the car and let's go," Brock corralled his family as he grabbed his car keys off Reba's desk and led everyone, but Reba, out the door.

Reba looked into her purse for her keys and phone while everybody went out. Kyra came behind her and whispered, "Is all this glam just for him? He nearly had a heart attack when he saw you, you know," and walked out.

Reba was kinda shocked that her youngest daughter almost saw right through her. Was her teasing him like that not the best decision? She just wanted to see his response and feel his lust wash over her once more. She was giving him all this just to see what he was missing-she looked better after he left her…

Reba slid her hands alongside her dress and took a deep breath, exhaled, and walked out of her house.


	2. Chapter 2

"So where are we going?" Reba asked Brock as she settled in beside him and buckled her seatbelt.

"Mom, this is a surprise, we are not going to tell you." Jake said, trying his best to hide the excitement in his voice. He failed to do so, and everyone laughed at him. His mom never celebrated her birthdays like she celebrated her kids birthdays. He liked seeing his mom being all dressed up and feeling excited about something. He knew what dad had planned and Jake wanted to witness how Reba would react.

"Ugh, y'all know that I hate surprises," Reba replied half-heartedly, unable to completely mask her smirk.

"Since when?" Brock bantered.

"Since forever."

"You do not, mom. Stop pryin', we won't tell ya," quipped Cheyenne from the back seat.

They drove for about 30 minutes, listening to music on the radio while the kids were talking, laughing. Everything almost felt like it had before-back when they were still a real family. Reba thought to herself that the scene inside the car wasn't normal. _Why are they being so nice to each other?_

"You look beautiful tonight, Red, " Brock looked at Reba -who looked a bit worried. She didn't completely trust what was happening. Normally nights like this started out well and devolved into a family-wide fight. That they were all being so... pleasant confused her. She bit her lower lip and Brock couldn't help but see her in a different light. She bit her lip a lot; when she was concentrating, when she was trying not to say something she shouldn't when she was in the throes of pleasure. He knocked the thoughts of Reba, the way she used to look when they were married and he was loving her out of his head. Now was not the time to fantasize about his ex-wife. She bit her lower lip and he almost started to fantasize about her like he was in her bathroom not a while ago. She looked at him and gave him her dazzling smile.

"Fifty really suits you" he pointed out and smiled.

"Oh, stop sayin' I'm fifty. Do I really look fifty to ya?" she questioned him in a doubtful voice.

"You are not a day older than 40." he said with a grin. She always looked younger than she was to him. Her skin was always so well nourished and she exercised regularly. She even ate healthy, opposite to him and his bad eating habits.

"What's up with you and your compliments tonight?" Reba asked him, confused. Brock started laughing and didn't want to answer her. _Oh, classic Reba always has the need to be in control and not take compliments just as is_ , Brock thought to himself.

"Just take the compliment woman and stop being so worried; tonight we are celebrating you, so quit worrying and smile." He said to her quite determined to get her out of her funk - to just enjoy dinner with her family.

She heard a very familiar sound on the radio but was unable to grasp at first what was so familiar with it. And then it hit her. Her eyes switch from looking outside to the radio, and Brock somehow knew what she wanted. He turned the volume up a bit and a small smile graced her lips when she could finally hear the song clearly.

In a millisecond, both of them were hit with nostalgia and the full meaning of the song came back and washed over them. They turned to each other, and Reba saw the flinch in Brock's eyes despite his hardly noticeable smirk. She knew then that the meaning of the song wasn't lost in him, and it made her heart swell with joy.

 _Of all the years I ever knew_

 _Those finer ones I spent with you_

 _I would give everything I own_

 _Give up my life, my heart, my own_

 _I would give everything I own_

 _Just to have you back again…._

As the song was playing, Reba smiled nervously and turned her head to look out of the car window. She couldn't help but reminisce the event that transpired last night..." _Was this surprise dinner already his plan before the revelation last night?"_

…..

 _Reba was at the table, eating her dinner when the back door opened abruptly. Brock entered and slammed the door. He looked a little tipsy. He was smiling-_ _Reba couldn't help but give him a funny look. What was he doing in her kitchen?_

 _"Oh hey, Brock. What is it this time?" He looked at her smiling, seeing that she has her glass of red wine on the table._

 _"Hey, Red. Let's open a bottle of wine to celebrate the last hours of you being young and fun?!" He started walking to the pantry. He knew she had a hidden spot, where she hides the good bottles of wine - red wine she loves. They were hidden behind the pasta. She always had three bottles on the stock, just because you never knew, when she would be in the mood to unwind. Wine was her I-need-to-relax kind of a mood and her favorite whiskey was for her I'm-so-angry-I'll-break-something kind of a mood._

 _"Young and fun?" Reba was puzzled. He was teasing her - that she knew. She could tell he was a little tipsy because of how bold he was being with her... She took her dinner plate and put it in the dishwasher._

 _"Yes, tomorrow you'll be 50 and you'll be old and grumpy,..." Brock yelled out of the pantry._

 _"Old and grumpy? Not spearing me with compliments tonight, I see" She said quietly as he came out of the pantry. He ignored her mumbling._

 _"So, how are you feeling?" He asked her sweetly while opening the bottle of her favorite red wine. Sometimes just a glass of wine and his touch would make her feel special and wanted. Now it's not the time for this kind of thinking, Reba...she thought for herself as she took one wine glass, as hers was already on the table._

 _"What?" Reba asked him confused_

 _"The last hours of you being 49; how are you feeling?"_

 _"Oh, 50 doesn't mean anything; it's just a number; and my body is looking like it was 30 years ago, so..." She said a little sexier than she meant but it was fun teasing him._

 _He laughed and took his full glass of wine, went to the table and sat down. She followed him and sat across from him. She took a sip and sighed. She had so been looking forward to having the house to herself tonight; she needed a moment of peace. Instead, Brock was there, sipping wine and teasing her at her kitchen table...maybe drunk already. Typical Brock- but she didn't mind it all that much. It was kind of nice to see him._

 _"I miss you, you know?" He said bravely. Her eyes were wide, she was actually blown away by his bold statement._

 _"Do you remember what we used to say all the time when we were married?" Brock took a sip of his wine when he asked her._

 _"No, I don't Brock. I washed old memories away with a lot of whiskey, when you left me, remember that ?" She said harshly than intended but he didn't budge._

 _"Oh c'mon Reba, I know you remember. We said, when Jake moves out and you turn fifty, we'll take a trip- just the two of us."_

 _She sighed "Oh, we were young and stupid."_

 _Brock laughed a little at her snarky comment and said sweetly "No, we were in love; don't forget that Red."_

 _She had enough of his sentimental memories and took a large gulp of her wine, finished it and stood up. "Brock, go home, sober up and stop being so sentimental!"_

 _Brock just ignored her being sassy. "Honey, listen. I know I screwed up, but you know what these last years brought me?"_

 _"What?" Said Reba just to spite him. To hear him maybe finally admitting what he lost._

 _"The wisdom of what true love is and how do we need a companion in our lives, to share our lives with, and when I went to therapy, we discussed that...and I came to a realization that the best decision in my life was when I asked you out"_

 _Reba laughed "You needed therapy for that?"_

 _Brock stood up and walked to her "Oh stop with your sass. You were and are the love of my life. I always knew that. I needed time to grow as a person. I think it's time we acknowledge that we are meant to be. I know I have a lot to prove to you again, that I've changed and I know now I really will be committed to you. I wanna see you happy and I want to make you laugh again. I want to see that your eyes are sparkly and witty just for me. And your sass and passion when you look at me and I feel your desire. I know you want to be independent and all but life is short and I want to spend it with you. Let me be your rock again, your knight in shining armor, I'll prove to you that you can trust me again. You'll see, I will prove to you that I'm not a mo-ron you are seeing. You'll see, you will fall in love with me again. You are the half that makes me whole."_

 _He gave her his most charming smile as he waited for a response. Instead of returning his sentiments, she stared deep into his eyes. He slowly moved his hands to her face. She stood there, so close to him, frozen from both fear and excitement. His hands were lightly touching her hot cheeks and his eyes were trailing from her eyes to her lips and back again. She bit her bottom lip and suddenly Brock kissed Reba with such passion, as she hadn't been kissed in years. He kissed her and the world fell away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His lips were soft and inviting her to open to him. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breath mingled. He ran her fingers down her spine, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of his heart against her chest. She somehow gave in. She felt like she was walking on air. It was magic, the way his lips connected with hers. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than she could have imagined and she opened her mouth with a low moan. Brock smiled. There was a minute of her thinking, she would put her arms around his neck, give in to this feeling of passion and desire but while she contemplated what to do, he ended his kiss and just walked away … Reba was so staggered, she just stood there. She could hardly breathe, her hands were shaking. She put her hands on the counter; to hold onto something hard and tangible and closed her eyes. In her mind, she replayed his last words:_ _You are the half that makes me whole_ _….. and this incredible man really enticed her._

 _…..._

After 45 minutes of driving, Brock slowed down. Reba snapped out of her flashback daydreaming and looked out the window. She saw a beautiful restaurant with huge, almost floor to ceiling glass windows-the place certainly looked very fancy. Brock pulled into the parking lot and turned off his car.

"Here we are! Everybody out," Brock instructed as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Wow, Brock, that looks fancy!" said Reba when she closed her car door, looking at this restaurant.

"Red, we are not going there" he smiled, "our restaurant is across the street. Do you remember it?" Brock pointed his finger to an old sign across the street. Reba finally turned around and saw the sign "Fellini's" her favorite Italian restaurant. She gasped and looked at Brock.

"But it's closed on Wednesdays, Brock,"

"The owner and I play golf together and we made a deal, if he loses his game, he will open his restaurant just for us," he said proudly.

"And you won?" she asked him rather puzzled and worried what would he say.

"Yes, for you," he said proudly.

Reba gave him a small smile, reached for his hand and squeezed it walked across the street to the restaurant. She was amazed how he made an effort just for her sake. She didn't quite know if he was telling her the truth about all this but she wanted to believe him.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Reba was the last one to enter the restaurant. She felt that her red locks were falling down and pins weren't so tight anymore. She went to the ladies room to pin her hair back up. She stood by the mirror and was trying so hard to pin her curls back to its place, but she couldn't do it. Her hands were shaky and she didn't know why. _What are you doing, Reba, pull yourself together, breathe in and breathe out, it's just another family dinner..._ she was trying to tell herself. She slowly inhaled and then exhaled, checked her lipstick and finally pinned her the last curl up to its place. Slowly her nervousness flew away and she was back to her old self.

She heard her phone chirp, so she took it from her purse and saw that her best friend Lori Ann wrote her a Lori-Ann-kind-of message for her birthday.

 _Girl, you are fifty today, go get it…..Oh, and happy birthday_. Reba chuckled at the message. Lori Ann was always wicked with her words, always insinuating on something. Reba was more subtle with her words, but tonight she felt that this message from her best friend was on point. Maybe she can loosen up a bit tonight and not worry about everything.

She missed her best friend. They would celebrate Reba's birthday when Lori Ann came to Houston the following week. Lori Ann wanted to throw Reba a big birthday bash but Reba didn't wanna have a big celebration. She didn't want to be in the center of attention, that's why her nervousness about tonight's dinner. Reba said no and she agreed on a small gathering of her closest friends. To be honest, her closest friends were Lori Ann, her kids and to think of it, Brock too. The birthday bash wouldn't be much different from that evening, except she knew Lori Ann would have her taking shots and dancing. Reba slipped her phone back into her purse and made a mental note to call her best friend back in the morning.

When she walked up to the table, she looked up and saw the most beautiful sight. Her family, all dressed up, happily conversing with each other and waiting for her to sit down with them.

The table was decorated with a beautiful centerpiece-her favorite bouquet of flowers, pink roses-four silver candles were lit at each side of the round table. She sat down beside Brock, her eldest daughter sitting immediately to the left of her.

She noticed a small black box with a little bow. It sat on her dinner plate. It was a small beautiful black velvety box with a turquoise bow.

She confusedly eyed Brock but he was engaged in a conversation with Jake, so she turned to Cheyenne. At the same time, Cheyenne turned towards her and noticed the little box.

"Wow Mom, What's that?" the blonde girl asked.

"I don't know.I thought you would know,"

"No. Open it then," Cheyenne suggested.

Reba took the box into her hand and slowly examined it. The box was very similar to small ring box but with a bow. She remembered how Brock proposed to her with the similar black box. She started to dream about this very sweet night but Brock's words snapped her out.

"Wait. Don't open it yet, Reba," Brock said and startled Reba with his hasty voice. He put his hand on her fingers that were tangled with the bow on the box. "Save it for later."

"Hmmm, okay."

Reba felt little butterflies chirping with excitement in her stomach. Her eyes stayed on his fingers tangled with hers and she liked the feeling that his touch gave her. If she was being honest, it felt a bit electric. _Get a grip, Reba...Focus..._ she thought and put her box in front of her wine glass. He removed his hands quite quickly and she felt a cold breeze flowing through her fingers. It was a very strange feeling being without his warm touch.

She took a large gulp of her red wine soon after the waiter had poured it into her glass. Brock noticed her anxiety and put his hand on her back and started to caress her. He noticed that she tensed at his touch so he moved his hand and went back to his conversation with Jake instead.

Dammit! His touch wasn't supposed to make me go all soft inside Reba thought to herself as she noticed that every time he touched her she felt warm and her heart beat faster. She didn't like those feelings being shown to Brock; she didn't want to give herself away, so she stiffened.

He slowly leaned back to her ear and his whisper made her shiver. "Why are you nervous, it's just dinner? You look radiant and your eyes sparkle. Relax, Reba."

His words calmed her, the tone of his voice was so soothing, she started to breathe slower. She closed her eyes, his whispers still in her ear.

"I'm just nervous about being here, in the center of attention. I'm not used to that, but it was very sweet of you to think of me. I'm just overwhelmed ….and all the words you said last night, really struck me. We have to talk about it!" Reba said to Brock silently.

"What words?" Brock smirked

Reba glared at him, thinking she didn't hear him right but he turned away smiling. _Is he toying with me or was he really that drunk last night?_

They ordered almost everything the restaurant had on the menu. Everybody was sharing with everyone and they chatted over one another. Every now and then his hand slightly brushed by her fingers and she couldn't hide her smile. Brock noticed and intentionally did it again.

After dinner, Jake asked "Hey Dad, can I get a dessert menu ?"

"Of course, buddy. Do you know what you'll order?" Brock asked.

"I don't know yet, maybe a chocolate cake or ice cream sundae." Jake said.

"I wanna ice cream sundae too, mommy, " Elizabeth said to Cheyenne "and Mikey and I can share!" Elizabeth pointed out to her brother who was so excited that his sister acknowledges him, that he started to cry. Cheyenne was very happy that Elizabeth welcomed her little brother. She was super protective from day one and it was so sweet to watch her interact with him. She shared her toys with him and all her attention was very comforting to Cheyenne. She was proud of her little girl.

"Oh, Elizabeth you are a really sweet sister" said Reba.

"I'll have cake!" Kyra voiced her desire.

"Oh, miss fancy pants wants cake" joked Van in his girly voice, mocking her and he couldn't even finish his sentence, he got punched in his arm by Kyra.

"Moron" she said triumphantly.

"Ouch, you sassy redhead, stop punching me!" Van squiled and brushed his arm in pain.

"Can you two behave tonight, please" Cheyenne pleaded.

"Grandpa, will you share your dessert with grandma?" Elizabeth innocently asked Brock.

He smiled, looked at Reba and said: " If your grandma would let me, I'll share anything with her."

Reba blushed and said with her soothing voice to Elizabeth "Grandma likes her desserts, so she will not share, but you can give one spoon to your grandpa."

Everybody laughed and Reba smacked Brock's hand. "Order for yourself. I deserve my own dessert. It's my birthday!"


	4. Chapter 4

After dessert, Elizabeth stood up, walked up to Reba with a small wrapped box. "Grandma, it's presents time!"

"Oh, really?" Reba looked amused and ready to open her presents. Her first granddaughter handed her a sweetly wrapped box and jumped on grandpa's lap. "Oh, thank you, sweetie, can I open it?". The little girl nodded with a big grin on her face.

"Mom, this is from our family to you; Elizabeth picked this out just for you." said Cheyenne while Reba tore the wrapping paper. She opened the box and there were the prettiest pairs of earrings Reba has ever seen. Green emerald droplet earrings with white diamonds around them. She was stunned by the beauty of this gift.

"Grandma, happy birthday" Elizabeth said and hugged Reba, seein' that she has tears in her eyes. Reba kissed her granddaughter on the cheek while Elizabeth wiped tears from Reba's cheeks. "We love you, mom. Have the best of birthdays!" said Cheyenne and hugged her mom.

"Oh my gosh, thank you, guys. I'm really touched." Reba felt very moved by this sweet present. She didn't know what was yet to come but she was excited. All her anxiety was gone and it felt good and she was calm.

Brock assisted her with putting her earrings on. "They are beautiful. You look stunning, honey. Green really suits you." Reba caught just one word in her heart - "Honey". It felt so natural to her that Brock called her all those cute pet names like Red and honey and baby when they were married, but now, she was caught off guard. There was a time when she craved his small gestures and sweet words. Today strangely, all his words of endearment caused her heart to beat faster. _Why is he so sweet to me today_ , she thought...She smiled at him sweetly. His hand was intertwined with hers and she was fine with it. She didn't move her hand away. One look at his eyes, she could easily get lost in them; This blue color, color of ocean and promises. His teasing air and persuasive words were like wine to her; Intoxicating.

Kyra, intentionally, really loudly, cleared her throat and almost choked. Everybody was laughing but Reba didn't hear them.

"Hey! You two lovebirds! Should we leave you guys alone or am I allowed to hand you my present?" Kyra called at her mom.

"Awww, they look so sweet!" said Van. Kyra hit him on his shoulder again.

"Why are you hitting me? Don't they look sweet to ya? Oh, I know, you have no heart!" said Van and Kyra just ignored his snarky comment.

"Now this is fun," Reba said very enthusiastically "Who's next? " she laughed.

"Me, me! " yelled Jake.

"No, idiot, we talked about it, I'm next. Be patient " Kyra said very unamused to Jake and stood from her chair.

Reba felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.

"Oh, yes. Who's next then?"

Kyra handed her mama a blue envelope with her name on it. "What's this Kyra? " Reba curiously asked her daughter.

Reba slowly opened an envelope and saw that her daughter wrote her a song named Mama.

"Mom, this is the song I wrote 10 years ago for your 40th birthday, but I didn't give it to ya then because Cheyenne said it was stupid. Now, this is my gift to ya, I'll sing it to ya when we get home, okay?"

"Awww honey, thank you. That is so thoughtful, I really love it. C'mere for a hug!" Reba hugged her daughter very tightly. She felt so proud of Kyra's generosity to share her talent with her mom.

"Oh god Mom, you are very emotional today. Is it menopausal or are you drunk?" Kyra asked while getting out of her mother's tight hug.

"Oh, stop it, I'm not drunk. I'm just very proud of you, sweetie. I love you!" Reba said laughing.

"Now, it's your turn, moron" Kyra yelled at Jake and took her seat again beside him. Jake stood up and walked to his momma. "Mom, this is from me to you. Happy birthday, I love you"

He handed her an envelope. In it was a gift certificate for massage in one of the most expensive spas in Houston.

"It's a gift certificate for a massage so you will relax and be super chill." Jake proudly announced.

"Wow, fancay!" Van joked.

Reba laughed at her son-in-law's words."Wow Jakey, thank you, I love you too, buddy." She hugged him. She was feeling grateful that her son thought of her and her need to feel calm and stress-free.

"Okay, now I need tissues and another glass of wine," Reba laughed and gulped the rest of her wine in her glass. "Thank you for all those beautiful gifts, guys. I really love each and every one of you".

"It's not over yet, Red. Now it's my turn." Reba heard Brock say.

She turned to him and looked him directly in his eyes. He smiled. "Now Reba, you can open the box in front of you"

Reba tore the bow away and opened the box. There laid an old-looking key. Reba took it out and said observantly "A key? Interesting," and smiled to Brock.

"This is the second part of the gift, the first part is this." Brock nervously gave Reba an old picture of them at the lake and behind them, there was a tiny wood cottage.

"Do you remember this?" Brock asked.

Reba took the photo from his hands and gave it a look. She remembered everything the first second she saw it.

"Oh my god Brock!" she gasped. The picture was really was a cottage where they went for their 10th wedding anniversary somewhere in Houston. There was a lake and this cottage had a nice patio with swing chair in front and when they sat there, they had a really beautiful view of the lake and woods. She remembered seating on this chair late one evening after dinner. She brought him a beer and sat beside him with a little white stick in her hands. She handed him a sign of her third pregnancy test. He looked at it and started crying because he knew in an instant what it meant. He silently wanted a boy the third time.

Reba didn't know how to connect the key and the picture together.

"Reba, I bought this cottage. It's my gift to you for your 50th birthday because I knew then, that this place meant a lot to ya and you were the happiest I've ever seen you, there. So I'm giving you a key; You can go and be happy there, again. Happy birthday, Red" said Brock and gave her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen from him in a long time.

She was shocked, happy and stunned, all at the same time, by his actions. She couldn't handle this, she felt overwhelmed, hot and she could barely speak. After a few seconds, she finally said "Why are you doing this to me?" with tears in her eyes.

Brock was a bit stunned ."What do you mean, honey?"

Reba couldn't fight her tears and she started to cry, stood up and walked away from the table.

Cheyenne stood up the second she saw her mamma was walking away and said: "I'm going after her, she's fine, she just needs to process this beautiful gift, dad."


	5. Chapter 5

Cheyenne ran after her mom to the toilets. Reba was pacing the floor with a tissue in her hand.

"Are you okay, mom?" Cheyenne said almost without a breath.

"Cheyenne, what are you doing here?" Reba stopped and looked at her daughter.

"I'm asking a question, mom!"

Reba was leaning on a bathroom stall, inhaling and exhaling deeply, trying to stay calm and collected but obviously failing. Cheyenne was looking at her mother, slightly concerned. She gave her a hug. Reba felt her daughter's warm body pressing against her and she just gave in. Her tears were rolling down her cheeks and she didn't care. She needed to let go. All of her fears were making through her tears. She had to open her chain on her heart again, to feel this eternal love she had for Brock. Cheyenne let her mother cry for a few minutes, then gave her a tissue to wipe all her tears away.

"Well, ..." Reba choked up. Cheyenne hugged her again. Her mother never fell apart. Cheyenne hardly saw her mother cry. She was always strong and sassy, even if she was falling apart on the inside. She never showed any other emotions on the outside. Just her strength to pull through and survive anything coming at her.

"What's up with you and dad today, Mom?"

"What do you mean?" Reba finally answered.

"He was super attentive and he gave you this beautiful gift and you just ignored him and walked away? Now you are crying here like it's the end of the world."

"Oh, Cheyenne...I didn't ignore him. It brought a lot of memories and I needed to process this on my own"

"Yes, you did. He was actually really nice to you today, giving you all those little glances and lovey-dovey eyes at you...Did something happened between the two of you?"

"He did not. I don't know what did you see, but there were no "lovey-dovey glances" as you call it."

"Oh, Mom, stop pretending. You think if you ignore all these glances and intimate things he does to you, that they don't exist. I heard him last night and I know what he said; You should give him a chance, after all those years"

"You heard us last night?" Reba gasped.

"Yes, I did. I wanted a glass of water for Mikey because he was fussy and didn't wanna go back to sleep. I went downstairs and I heard Dad say that he is still very much in love with you and that he wants a chance to prove to you that he really changed..."

Reba sighed. "Oh Lord" Her eyes all glassy, still full of tears.

"He said that he doesn't remember anything... " Reba sobbed.

Cheyenne looked at her and said: "Oh Mom, I know you two love each other, I see all this love for him in your eyes. Just give him a chance, because we all know that you two have this love that is everlasting, and you need to stop worrying what will happen after you give in, to all these emotions I know you are feeling towards him. He's changed and you need to feel all this and be loved again. He bought you this cottage because he saw you were the happiest there and he wants that for you"

Cheyenne tightly hugged her mother and they both started to cry. Reba was shocked at all the words Cheyenne told her. All this wisdom from her little daughter, who was not little anymore, was making Reba cry and she felt proud at the same time. Cheyenne was growing to be a very good psychologist.

"Oh Cheyenne, my baby..." Cheyenne put her thumbs on her mother's cheeks and wiped all her mother's tears away and then all of her's.

"Cheyenne I don't wanna feel this good. This emotions and all those memories are bad for my soul. This is too good to be true. If I give in to him, I'm just waiting for an avalanche of bad things to happen and I'm reserved to just feel all the love and kindness he is giving me. I can't fall for this once again because every time I truly recognize the warmth of his touch, the pure need for me and my lust for him, at some point it all crashes down on us and I can't feel lost and vulnerable again. I built my guard up and walls for a reason and I can't give up and give in to him now. I was silent yesterday because he caught me off guard. I was drinking and I thought that he was not sincere because of all this alcohol, but then today and this beautiful gift he gave me...this is making me question why am I so restrained. I want to be loved by him and I still love him very much. I need to show him that, right?"

"Yes, mom. Don't be scared. Just go after him and make both of you very happy again. This family survived a lot and we need love again" Cheyenne kissed her mother on the cheek and took her hand in hers and they walked out of the toilet.

Reba was, at that moment, determined to show him what he meant to her. All her emotions packed in one tiny box, waiting to be shown again. They walked up to the table, Reba winked at Cheyenne and walked straight to Brock. He was standing beside Jake and they were watching some videos on his phone. She tapped his shoulder and when he straightened himself up to her she put her hands on his chest, looked him directly in his eyes full of love said "Thank you, I really love your gift" and kissed him with all the passion she had. She gave in to him and it felt good. All the worries she had, were washed away and she felt like he is hugging her heart again.

"You are my half too. I love you, Brock" she said almost without a breath and hugged him.

"Say that again, Reba" Brock said a little shocked, but smiling.

She laughed and said "I love you, you mo-ron"

The End :)


End file.
